Laundry machinery



May 13; N30, E. J. CARROLL LAUNDRY MACHINERY Filed Nov. 27, 1925 3Sheets-Sheet 1 May 13, 1930. E. J. CARROLL LAUNDRY MACHINERY 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 2'7, 1925 INVENTOR flkw/ ATT R Yr May 13,1930. E. J. CARROLL LAUNDRY mcnmnnv Filed Nov. 27, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3III/I III/1111104 r IllllllllI/IIIIIII!I Patented May 13, 1930 PATENTOFFICE UNITED STATES EMIL' J. CARROLL, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THEAMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OHIOLAUNDRY MACHINERY Application filed November 27, 1925. Serial No.71,777.

This invention relates to laundry machines of that type wherein acylindrical container is rotated within a casing, the contents of thecylinder being processed meanwhile by fiu1ds 5 such as detergent liquid,rinsingfhquid or drying air, passing through perforations 1n thecylinder.

In such machines a circumferentially sliding door is customarilyprovided in the cylinder, which must be brought into reglstry with acorresponding door in the casing for loading and unloading the cylinder;and 1n drying machines various auxiliaries to the process are includedwithin the casing, as for example heating coils and dehnting' screens,

which require frequent inspection for maintaining them free fromaccumulated substances which render them inefficient.

One of the objects of myinvention is the provision of improved means foropenin the doors of the casing easily and quickly and yet dependent uponthe cylinder within being stationary, and means for preventing rotationof the cylinder thereafter until the doors are closed and secured. Afurther object is the provision of means for rendering the position ofthe cylinder easily visible from without the casing so that the.cylinder doors may be aligned with the casing doors before the doors areopened. Another object of the invention is the provision of means forrendering visible from without the casing, the interior of the cylinderand its contents, so that the operator may observe and more accuratelycontrol the process within the cylinder throughout its successivestages. A still further object is the provision of means for easyinspection of the various auxiliaries described from without the casing,thus rendering interruption of the process by' opening the casing forinspection unnecessary.

The exact nature of my invention is made clear in the followingdescription, referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine from the operating or frontside; Fig. 2 is a perspective of a part of the rear of the machine; Fig.3 is a detail showing the manner of securing the observation ports inthe casing; Fig. is a detail in perspective of the control handle andadjacent parts of the machlne; Fig. 5 is a detail of the door raisingmeans; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the door latch andcoactingmechanism, the view being taken looking endwise at the machinefrom the right .in Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a sectional plan v ew on a largerscale, of the parts shown in F ig. 6; Fig. 8 is a sectional detail ofthe control handle and switch operated thereby; Fig. 9 is anacross-the-line diagram of the electrical system; and Fig. 10 is asectional detail of the brake.

In the machine illustrated 1 represents a casing surrounding thecylinder. 2 and provided with the doors 3 in front of the cylinder,which carries corresponding doors as will be well understood by onefamiliar with the art, and doors 4 in the front and rear of the machinethrough which access may be had to the delinting screens and heatingcoils respectively within the casing. In all of these doors are placedobservation ports 5 as illustrated, covered with transparent materialsuch as glass and made air tight by any suitable packing and-framing asthat shown in Fig. 3; and through which the various parts within thecasing may be observed. At the ends of the casing and in the cylinderends are similar observation ports through which the contents of thecylinder and advancement of the process therein may be easily observed.

The cylinder is electrically driven by the motor 6, is stopped by thebrake 8, and is controlled by the control handle 9, which by a cam 10integral therewith operates the spring opened starting switch 11, andthrough link 12 operates the brake 8. In the position of the controllever shown in Figs. 4 and 8, the brake is off and the starting switchis closed making a circuit through its contacts 11 to energize the coilof main contactor 13, which in turn completes the motor running circuit.In the motor circuit is the reversing drum 7 which automaticallyreverses the motor and thereby the cylinder 2 at periodic intervals ofrunning.

Mounted upon the casing at one end is a box 19 containing automaticmechanism to be described. To the free end of one of the doors 100 3 asat the opposite end of the machine as seen in Fig. 1, is secured a latchfinger 14 which in the closed position of the door enters an opening 19in box 19 secured upon the end of the machine as indicated in Figs. 6and 7 and cooperates with the notch 15 in the latch lever 16. The latchlever 16 is secured upon the shaft 17 which is resiliently urged in acounter clockwise direction (Fig. 6) by the spring 18. In the box 19 ismounted an electromagnet 20 and axially mounted for actuation by themagnet is armature 21 normally urged toward the position shown in Fig. 6by the spring 22, and provided with a split arm 23 carrying at its endthe roller 24. Upon the opposite end of shaft 17 is fixed a segment 25stepped as shown in Fig. 6 to engage the roller 24. It will be seen thatas the casing door is closed, the latch 14 will engage the notch in thelever 16, push back said lever and rotate the shaft 17 to the positionshown, when the first step in segment 25 will be engaged by the roller24 to retain the mechanism in this position and thus prevent the casingdoor from being reopened until the armature 21 is actuated by theenergizing of the magnet 20,

when the finger 24 will be lifted from engagement with the first step inthe segment 25 and spring 18 will cause rotation of the shaft 17 whendoor 3 is opened until the second step in the segment is engaged by theroller 24 to limit the motion of the shaft 17.

' nism described.

Above the casing doors are mounted retrieving pulleys 26, springactuated as shown in Fig. 5 and provided with flexible connections tothe casing doors so that when the latch 14 is released by the energizingof the magnet 20 as above described, the doors 3 provided the are notsecured by the hand latches 27, are opened by the pulleys 26.

The starting switch 11 is provided with contact fingers 28 in theenergizing circuit of the magnet 20 and arranged to be bridged by thecontact member 29 when the switch is in the off position for thestarting circuit. Thus until the motor is stopped the casing doors aremaintained closed by the latching mecha- Within the box 19 are twocontact fingers 30, in the energizing circuit for the contactor 13,andon the shaft 17 is a bridging member 31therefor arranged as shown tomaintain the energizin circuit open "except when the lever 16 is hel bythe arm'14 in the position of Fig. 6. Thus until the casing door isclosed and latched in the position shown, the contactor 13 cannot beactuated to start the motor 6, even though the starting switch 11 beclosed. v

In operation of the machine, in starting,- the casing doors are firstclosed, making a contact acrossthe contacts 30, and actuating the magnetlatching mechanism as described, and the doors are secured closed by thehand latches 27. The machine may then be start- 'to break the contactacross the fingers 28, de

energizing the magnet 20 and latching the doors through members 14 and16 as described; and making contact across the contacts 11 to energizethe contactor 13, which in turn completes the motor circuit.

When it is desired to stop the machine with the cylinder doors inposition for loading, the control handle 9 is moved by the operator tothe stop position, breaking the circuit to the contactor 13 and thusstopping the motor, and through the link 12 applying the brake 8. In myinvention the operator, by observing the position of the cylinderthrough the ports 5 in the casing doors 3, and by proper manipulation ofthe control handle 9 to alternately apply the power and brake asnecessary, may inc the cylinder into the desired position. When this isaccomplished the handle 9 being in the stop position and the brakeapplied, contact is made between the fingers 28 to energize the magnet20, which releases the magnetic latch. Thereafter upon releasing thehand latches 27, the casing doors 3 are raised to and held in the openposition by the retrieving pulleys 26.

From the foregoing it is clear that I have provided an electricalinterlock between the cylinder control means and the casing doorlatching mechanism whereby it is impossible to open the doors withoutfirst stopping the motor and applying the brake; and by providingobservation ports in the casing door have made it possible to bring thecylinder y to a stop in the necessary position without the scribed, acasing having a door, a work-receiving cylinder rotatable in said casingand having a door, an observation transparency in said casing throughwhich said cylinder is visible, and means foreifecting inching movementof said cylinder to bring its door into registry with said casing door,said inchin means having a control part located outsi e of-said casingadjacent said transparency, so that the operator can observe saidcylinder through said transparency while operating said inching means,and may therefore be advised when he has brought the door of saidcylinder into registry with the door of said casing.

2. In a laundry machine of the class described, a casing having a door,a work-receivmg cylmder rotatable in said casing and having a door,latch means for said casing door, means associating said latch meanswith said cylinder to secure said casing door closed during movement ofthe cylinder, an observation transparency in said casing through whichsaid cylinder is visible, and means for efl'ecting inching movement ofsaid cylinder to bring its door into registry with said casing door,said inching means having a control part located outside of said casingadj a cent said transparency, so that the operator can observe saidcylinder through said transparency while operating said inching means,

and may therefore be advised when he has brought the door of saidcylinder into registry with the door of said casing.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my signature.

EMIL J. CARROLL.

